Tuesday, February 13, 2007

A fair point

Sean, you have to let the Eureka Reporter know that it really is you who wrote the letter, if you want it to be published. This isn't just Salzman's legacy, but all of the newspapers are enforcing their longstanding policy of calling and verifying the person who writes a letter as a result of his letter writing spree.
Sean Marsh letter still unverified; case should not have been prosecuted

In the TS, Jere Bob Bowden asks that "both the city (of Ferndale) formally apologize to Marsh and that the City Council direct the police chief “to personally apologize in public and in writing to Mr. Marsh.”

You should add Paul Gallegos and Jose Mendez to that list.

One question: Was Sean Marsh offered a plea deal, and if so, what was it?

And what ever happened to the Marcus Smith case?

9 comments:

  1. Maybe he had Salzman write the letter for him.

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  2. No. His letter was obviously written by someone who has been put through hell, and who is agonizing over every detail of the injustice he has suffered. I imagine he is filled with rage, and wants an apology and recognition of the fact that he was innocent. On top of everything else, he said his wife almost died giving birth to their first son, so when he got arrested and this whole ordeal began while she was nine months pregnant, you can imagine his fears.

    There needs to be some healing on this. There should be apologies all around..

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  3. This isn't just Salzman's legacy, but all of the newspapers are enforcing their longstanding policy of calling and verifying the person who writes a letter as a result of his letter writing spree.

    The second half of this sentence contradicts the first. Letter verification has been going on long before the Salzman story. But maybe you have to get your digs where you can.

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  4. My point was exactly that - this was a longstanding policy that the papers had gotten lax on. Some verified, some didn't even bother, trusting the public. After Richard's rather long-running spree, they all tightened up their policy and are now pretty diligent about verifying the author of a letter.

    The digs are fair, heraldo, and I would add that Richard had a rather elaborate system, so that even when they did call to verfy, he had a phone number and answered the call. Nevertheless he has a particular writing style, and way of making his points that makes him stand out regardless of the names he uses.

    I hope Mr. Marsh sits down with the Eureka Reporter. His letter is filled with angst, and he has a bigger story to tell.

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  5. Marsh should get over it. Lawson and he both acted like asses. The real angst and misery were caused by Gallegos and Mendez, despite the effort of some unknown adult
    possibly Keat or Bird, to instill a little sense by rejecting the original complaint request. After that, it's all Paul's fault. At no time did any hint of intelligence or discretion enter into the picture. If the DA can't stand up to a cop or a politician who
    wants a case like this filed, won't stand up for what was clearly a correct decsion to reject, that's a serious problem. But there's lots of those to go around in the DA's office, and most of them are wearing suits.

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  6. Hope you can wait till hell freezes over, because I sincerely doubt that he will get an apology.

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  7. Yeah he was offered a plea bargain. If he plead to jaywalking (something he clearly also didn't do) then they would dismiss the child endangerment charges (which he as arrested and held on 50,000$ bail.)

    Again, a terrible abuse of power by Gallegos and Mendez.

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  8. With a little common sense all around it could have been handled like this

    Wandering girl, 3, rescued on freeway
    TODDLER WALKED OUT OF SAN MATEO APARTMENT UNNOTICED; POLICE CREDIT GOOD SAMARITAN
    By Will Oremus
    MediaNews
    A 3-year-old girl wandered onto the Delaware Street on-ramp to Highway 92 early Wednesday after following her mother out of their San Mateo apartment as the woman left for work.

    A motorist pulled over and rescued the girl before disaster could strike, driving her to a safe spot and dialing 911. The child was reunited with her father within minutes, San Mateo police Lt. Tom Daughtry said.

    Daughtry said the mother probably had just left for work about 3 a.m. when the girl opened the front door and ambled out after her. The father was getting up around the same time and noticed the door wide open and the girl gone.

    He ran outside and flagged down a passing San Mateo police car. About the same time, the California Highway Patrol was fielding a call from the motorist who found the girl, CHP officer Eric Parsons said. CHP officers called San Mateo police and quickly made the connection.

    Daughtry said no charges were filed.

    ``There was no negligence,'' he said. ``The little girl just had a window of opportunity to walk out of the apartment unnoticed.''

    Parsons said the woman who picked up the girl did the right thing, despite the danger inherent in stopping on a freeway on-ramp.

    Daughtry added: ``We want to commend the lady that stopped and ensured the young girl's safety. She's truly a good Samaritan and may have prevented tragedy on the freeway.''

    Police did not release the names of the people involved.

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  9. Gee you think that the DA charged this because he is an idiot? Or was it to blow smoke that he descimated his child abuse program and stupidly thought he could get some brownie points off of an easy win? Fortunately for Sean, the DA and DDa can't evalute the merits of a case worth squat.

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